U.S. patent number 5,346,172 [Application Number 08/046,732] was granted by the patent office on 1994-09-13 for servo valve.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Gulde Regelarmaturen GmbH & Co. KG. Invention is credited to Wolfgang Gonsior.
United States Patent |
5,346,172 |
Gonsior |
September 13, 1994 |
Servo valve
Abstract
A servo valve comprising a drive for moving a valve spindle (6)
coupled through a lever and a link body with the drive. The lever
(34) is pivotably mounted in a lever housing (30) which is
connected at one end to the valve housing (2) and at its other end
to a housing (54) of the drive, and a position controller (114) is
disposed on the lever housing (30). The servo valve has a compact
and enclosed design and can be economically manufactured and
assembled.
Inventors: |
Gonsior; Wolfgang
(Lindau-Bodolz, DE) |
Assignee: |
Gulde Regelarmaturen GmbH & Co.
KG (Ludwigshafen, DE)
|
Appl.
No.: |
08/046,732 |
Filed: |
April 16, 1993 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 28, 1992 [DE] |
|
|
4213957 |
|
Current International
Class: |
F16K 031/12 ();
F16K 031/145 () |
Field of
Search: |
;251/58,234,243,285,61.4,285,335.3 ;137/454.6 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2149915 |
|
Apr 1972 |
|
DE |
|
553373 |
|
May 1943 |
|
GB |
|
Primary Examiner: Chambers; A. Michael
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Evenson, McKeown, Edwards &
Lenahan
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A servo valve comprising a valve housing, a valve spindle
movable axially within said housing, a drive for operating said
spindle, and a position controller for actuating said drive
depending on the position of said spindle, wherein said valve
spindle is operatively coupled to said drive by a lever and a link
body; said lever is arranged in a lever housing, having first and
second chambers, interposed between said valve housing and said
drive with one end of said lever housing connected to said valve
housing and another end of said lever housing connected to a
housing for said drive, said valve spindle partially projecting
into said first chamber; a guide block, which couples between said
valve spindle and said lever is slidably guided in said lever
housing, said second chamber of the lever housing having a support
on which said lever is pivotally mounted, and said position
controller is directly connected to said lever housing and closes
off said second chamber via a plate.
2. A servo valve according to claim 1, wherein said valve is
pneumatically operated.
3. A servo valve according to claim 1, wherein two pivot supports
are arranged in said second chamber, and said lever can be
selectively mounted in either of said two pivot supports to reverse
the operation of said valve.
4. A servo valve according to claim 1, wherein said position
controller directly connected to said lever housing tightly closes
one side of said second chamber and a separate cover is provided
which tightly closes an opposite side of said second chamber.
5. A servo valve according to claim 4, wherein said drive is a
pneumatic diaphragm drive, and said plate contains a connection for
overflow air from said position controller, whereby overflow air
can pass through said connection into said second chamber and into
an unpressurized part of said pneumatic diaphragm drive.
6. A servo valve according to claim 1, wherein said position
controller detects the stroke of said valve spindle indirectly
through said lever or through the pivot axis of said lever.
7. A servo valve according to claim 1, wherein said lever comprises
a first lever arm for actuating said valve spindle and a second
lever arm for actuating said link body connected to said drive,
said first lever arm being substantially shorter than said second
lever arm.
8. A servo valve according to claim 1, further comprising at least
one adjustable motion limiter associated with said lever.
9. A servo valve according to claim 8, wherein said adjustable
motion limiter is an adjusting screw rotatably mounted in said
housing and which bears against said lever when said lever reaches
a predetermined limit of travel.
10. A servo valve according to claim 8, wherein said adjustable
motion limiter is an adjusting screw rotatably mounted in said
lever and which bears against said housing when said lever reaches
a predetermined limit of travel.
11. A servo valve according to claim 1, further comprising a
coupling provided between said lever and said spindle.
12. A servo valve according to claim 1 wherein said first chamber
is divided from said second chamber by a dividing wall, and wherein
said guide block coupled to said spindle and to said lever extends
through said dividing wall, said guide block being movable in the
direction of the axis of said spindle.
13. A servo valve according to claim 12, further comprising a guide
bushing in said dividing wall for guiding said guide block.
14. A servo valve according to claim 12, wherein the guide block is
coupled to said spindle by a shank on said spindle received in a
bore in said guide block.
15. A servo valve according to claim 1, wherein said lever housing
is provided with a flange which is directly connected to an upper
part of said valve housing.
16. A servo valve according to claim 1, wherein said drive
comprises a pneumatic diaphragm arranged in a diaphragm housing,
said diaphragm housing comprising lower and upper housing parts
clamped together by a clamping band.
17. A servo valve according to claim 16, wherein said drive further
comprises a spring arranged in said diaphragm housing for biasing
said diaphragm in a desired direction, said spring having a relaxed
length such that said diaphragm housing can be opened without
special tools.
18. A servo valve according to claim 17, wherein said diaphragm
spring plate has an outer margin provided with a radially outwardly
extending protuberance against which pressure applied to said
diaphragm urges said flexible annular ring.
19. A servo valve according to claim 16, wherein said diaphragm
comprises a flexible annular ring having an outer margin secured to
said diaphragm housing and an inner margin secured to a centrally
disposed diaphragm spring plate.
20. A servo valve according to claim 1, wherein said valve housing
has a constricted throat and an expansion chamber downstream of
said throat in the direction of flow of material through said servo
valve, said expansion chamber being surrounded by a cylindrical
wall having substantially uniform thickness throughout its
height.
21. A servo valve according to claim 20, wherein said valve housing
is provided with a substantially square housing flange for
connection to an upper housing part, said housing flange having an
edge length substantially equal to the outside diameter of said
cylindrical wall surrounding said expansion chamber.
22. A servo valve according to claim 1, wherein said valve housing
has an upper margin and is provided with a housing flange for
connection to an upper housing part, said housing flange being
spaced away from said upper margin of said valve housing.
23. A servo valve according to claim 1, wherein said valve housing
is provided with a housing flange for connection to an upper
housing part, said housing flange lying substantially adjacent a
central longitudinal axis of said valve housing.
24. A servo valve according to claim 1, further comprising a
bellows for sealing said valve spindle to a portion of said valve
housing.
25. A servo valve according to claim 24, wherein said bellows is
disposed in an upper part of said valve housing having a relatively
short length in the direction of the axis of said spindle.
26. A servo valve comprising a valve housing, a valve spindle
movable axially within said housing, a drive for operating said
spindle, and a position controller for actuating said drive
depending on the position of said spindle, wherein said valve
spindle is operatively coupled to said drive by a lever and a link
body; said lever is pivotally mounted in a lever housing interposed
between said valve housing and said drive with one end of said
lever housing connected to said valve housing and another end of
said lever housing connected to a housing for said drive and said
position controller is disposed on said lever housing;
wherein said lever is arranged in an enclosed lever chamber in said
lever housing;
wherein said lever housing comprises a spindle chamber into which a
part of said valve spindle extends, said spindle chamber being
divided from said lever chamber by a dividing wall;
wherein a guide block coupled to said spindle and to said lever
extends through said dividing wall, said guide block being movable
in the direction of the axis of said spindle; and
wherein said guide block is provided with a centering cone which
lies adjacent a slotted cone nut, and said slotted cone nut is
threaded onto an external thread of said spindle and clamped to
said centering cone concentrically therewith by a coupling.
27. A servo valve comprising a valve housing, a valve spindle
movable axially within said housing, a drive for operating said
spindle, and a position controller for actuating said drive
depending on the position of said spindle, wherein said valve
spindle is operatively coupled to said drive by a lever and a link
body; said lever is pivotally mounted in a lever housing interposed
between said valve housing and said drive with one end of said
lever housing connected to said valve housing and another end of
said lever housing connected to a housing for said drive, and said
position controller is disposed on said lever housing;
wherein said drive comprises a pneumatic diaphragm arranged in a
diaphragm housing, said diaphragm housing comprising lower and
upper housing parts clamped together by a clamping band;
wherein said diaphragm comprises a flexible annular ring having an
outer margin secured to said diaphragm housing and an inner margin
secured to a centrally disposed diaphragm spring plate; and
wherein said inner margin of said annular ring is received in an
annular groove in said diaphragm spring plate, and at least one
reinforcing wire is provided in said inner margin to render said
inner margin resistant to stretching.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a servo valve comprising a valve housing,
a valve spindle movable axially within said housing, a drive for
operating said spindle, and a position controller for actuating
said drive depending on the position of said spindle, and in
particular to a servo valve with a drive especially adapted for
pneumatic operation.
Servo valves of this kind are disclosed, for example, in Kemmler,
U.S. Pat. No. 4,343,224. In this valve design the diaphragm drive
is connected by a yoke to the valve housing. The diaphragm drive
and the diaphragm are coaxial with the axially displaceable valve
spindle which is coupled directly with the diaphragm plate. Beside
the yoke is a position controller which by means of a lever detects
the stroke of the valve spindle. The bulk, and especially the
height, are comparatively great, primarily because of the open
fitting of the diaphragm drive to the valve housing and the freely
accessible detection of the spindle position by means of the lever
of the position control. This open method of construction can lead
to difficulties in practice, especially in the application of
protective paints to entire apparatus, and accidental losses of
adjustment.
Irwin, U.S. Pat. No. 2,895,501 discloses a pressure control with an
integrated diaphragm drive, which can be used especially in gas
lines for stoves or water heaters. When the valve is open, one
chamber of the diaphragm drive is pressurized by the pressure of
the medium which flows through the valve, while the other chamber
is subjected to pressure in order to open the valve, for example,
the pressure of water to be heated. By means of a lever the
diaphragm drive shifts the valve body in accordance with the
equilibrium of the forces that establishes itself on the diaphragm.
Changes in pressure in the chambers corresponding to the momentary
pressures of the gas and of the water directly produce a change in
the position of the valve body, and it is not easily possible to
establish a precise flow cross section through the valve.
A flow controller is also disclosed in Katz et al, U.S. Pat. No.
3,667,722 which has a lever in a sealed chamber which is inserted
between an electromagnetic servo drive and a valve. The servo drive
contains a pin having a rounded tip which is in contact with one
end of the lever. There is no means for detecting the axial
position of the valve spindle, nor is there a position controller.
Since the pin of the servo drive and also the valve spindle are
only touching the lever, additional measures are necessary in
order, for example, to maintain contact between the pin and the
lever when pin is moving away from the lever.
Finally, a valve operating apparatus is disclosed in Latour, U.S.
Pat. No. 2,657,710. The valve body is a component of a piston which
is axially displaceable in a cylinder and is biased by a spring.
The spring is disposed in a chamber of the cylinder, and this
chamber is in communication with a venting valve. The venting valve
can be operated by means of an electromagnetic drive and a lever,
and the valve movement is limited by means of screws and springs.
The position of the valve body integrated into the piston cannot be
defined in advance, inasmuch as the valve configured in this manner
is either fully open or fully closed, and defined intermediate
positions are not easily established.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the object of the present invention to provide an improved
servo valve of the aforementioned type.
Another object of the invention is to provide a servo valve which
has a compact, enclosed structure.
A further object of the invention is to provide a servo valve which
can be economically manufactured and assembled.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a servo valve
which assures reliable and trouble-free position control.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a servo valve
which is resistant to undesirable effects of external
influences.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a servo valve
which has a high degree of accuracy and operating reliability and a
long useful service life.
These and other objects of the invention are achieved by providing
a servo valve comprising a valve housing, a valve spindle movable
axially within the housing, a drive for operating the spindle, and
a position controller for actuating the drive depending on the
position of the spindle, wherein the valve spindle is operatively
coupled to the drive by a lever and a link body; the lever is
pivotally mounted in a lever housing interposed between the valve
housing and the drive with one end of the lever housing connected
to the valve housing and the other end of the lever housing
connected to a housing for the drive, and the position controller
is disposed on the lever housing.
The proposed valve with the integrated drive and position
controller has a compact construction and occupies little space.
Due to the lever interposed between the valve spindle and the
drive, which advantageously may be configured as a pneumatic
diaphragm drive, a closing or opening large force can be applied
with a comparatively small drive having a small diaphragm. The
drive has great accuracy and long useful life, assuring economical
manufacture and assembly. The proposed servo valve has a large
adjustment ratio and high accuracy of adjustment, an adjustment
ratio up to 1:100 being reliably achieved with a compact and
economical design. Desirably, the drive does not have a separate
guiding means, so that low friction is assured. Between the lever
and the valve spindle, guiding means are disposed such that only
substantially axial forces act on the valve spindle through the
lever in order to move it. Thus, transverse forces on the spindle
are avoided, so that the seals through which the valve spindle
passes into the valve housing are not additionally stressed and a
long useful life and reliable operation are assured. Furthermore,
an equalizing coupling can be disposed between the lever and the
valve spindle to compensate for any offset between the guiding
elements and the valve spindle. The complexity of manufacture and
assembly are reduced because manufacturing tolerances or
misalignments between the lever housing and the valve housing can
easily be compensated for through the guiding elements and/or the
coupling, and particularly those which are transverse to the
direction of movement of the axially moving valve spindle are at
least considerably reduced and ultimately prevented. As a result of
the leverage ratio, the spring contained in the servo drive can be
much softer inasmuch as the stiffness of the spring is related to
the square of the leverage ratio. Since the spring of the servo
drive, which advantageously is configured as a diaphragm drive, is
considerably softer, in comparison with direct spindle actuation,
transverse forces are virtually eliminated. The manner of operation
can be easily inverted simply by shifting the pivot point of the
lever.
The lever is mounted in an enclosed housing which forms the
connection between the valve housing and the servo drive. The
housing containing the lever, hereinafter referred to as the lever
housing, also contains the means for connection to the upper part
of the valve housing, and, advantageously, a spindle coupling to
take up transverse forces. The lever housing contains an enclosed
chamber for the lever which lies substantially transverse to the
axis of the valve spindle as well as the axis of the servo drive,
these axes advantageously being parallel and spaced apart from one
another. The lever housing contains an additional chamber aligned
substantially parallel to the valve spindle, in which the valve
spindle and, in some cases, parts of a guiding system and coupling
with the lever, are disposed. Overall, the lever housing with its
two chambers has an L-shaped configuration and, at least in the
case of smaller valve sizes, namely down to nominal widths of 50
mm, it is constructed in one piece. For larger nominal widths, the
lever housing can be made of two parts, each containing one of the
chambers and being releasably connected to the other.
Furthermore, a position controller is directly fastened to the
lever housing, the movement detection being made through the lever
and/or its pivot shaft. An integrated position controller
adaptation is thus provided in which in which the position of the
valve spindle is detected indirectly, the housing containing the
lever advantageously having a connection for the air overflow of
the position controller. The position controller is disposed on one
side of the lever housing where it seals off the lever housing.
Also, an additional safeguard against atmospheric effects on the
components on the unpressurized side of the positioning drive and
in the lever housing is assured by means of the overflow air. In an
advantageous manner, all internal spaces of the servo drive and of
the lever housing chamber containing the lever are protected
against outside air, thereby achieving considerable advantages as
regards reliability of operation and useful life.
In one advantageous embodiment, the servo valve is provided with a
bellows seal. Since the length of a bellows seal is substantially
proportional to the stroke of the valve spindle, the proposed
combination with the leverage ratio and the resultant shortening of
the stroke correspondingly decreases the length of the bellows.
Thus, the upper part which advantageously contains the bellows can
be made smaller in accordance with the leverage ratio, and so in
general can the height. Hence an economical bellows valve is
provided which satisfies safety requirements, in particular the
requirements of the German ordinance TA-LUFT (Technical Regulations
- Air) or comparable regulations applicable in foreign countries.
Likewise, due to the leverage ratio a high accuracy of adjustment
is assured, since the position controller is coupled on the side of
the servo drive, which because of the leverage ratio moves a
greater distance than the valve spindle.
Further improvements and preferred embodiments of the invention are
described in detail below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention is described in further detail with reference to
illustrative preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying
drawings, without being limited thereto. In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section through the valve, the lever
housing, and the diaphragm driver;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a section along line II of FIG.
1;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of section III of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a partial view in the direction IV of FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a section V of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a longitudinal section through a known lubricated valve
housing, and
FIGS. 7 and 8 are, respectively, a longitudinal section and a top
view of the valve housing according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal sectional view of a forged valve
housing 2 having an upper or top part 4 in which a valve spindle 6
is disposed for axial movement in the direction of a spindle axis
8. The top part 4 is joined by bolts 10 to a flange 12 which is
disposed approximately in the center of the housing 2 and through
which the longitudinal axis 14 runs. In the interior, downstream
from the valve cone 16, the valve housing 2 has an expansion
chamber 18 with a large volume. With this large expansion chamber,
especially good rheological characteristics are achieved. The
transformation energy available in the forging process goes into
the production of the large expansion chamber 18, while the inlet
opening 20 and the outlet opening 22 are produced by boring. The
connecting chamber 24 lying at the end of the inlet opening,
coaxial with the expansion chamber 18, can be made in the forging
process and/or by boring.
The valve upper part 4 contains a bellows 26 for sealing the
spindle. Since the valve spindle 6, due to the leverage ratio to be
explained later, performs a short stroke, the bellows has a
comparatively short length in the direction of the valve axis 8.
Thus, the valve upper part and the servo valve in general have a
considerably reduced height in comparison with known, directly
driven bellows valves. Preferably, a means to prevent rotation is
provided for the valve spindle 6. For this purpose a pin 28, which
is provided for connecting the valve spindle 6 to the valve cone
16, is guided by both its extremities in longitudinal grooves 29
with respect to the upper part. Because of this anti-rotational
means, the bellows is not exposed to torsion forces, which has a
favorable effect on its life and its reliability. Even though the
safety standards, especially TA-LUFT, are quite well satisfied by
the bellows seal, where the standards are less strict some other
sealing means, such as a conventional packing or an O-ring, for
example, can be provided for sealing the spindle, and in such
embodiments the length of the upper part 4 and thus of the entire
servo valve can be further reduced.
A lever housing 30 is affixed to the valve upper part 4 and
contains a first chamber 31 coaxial with the spindle axis 8 and a
transversely oriented second chamber 32. At the bottom end of the
first chamber 31 a safety seal 33 is provided. Here a safety seal
33 with spring-loaded upper packing is illustrated, which account
for a large percentage of the great variety of packing types. Such
a construction is basically quite reliable as long as no transverse
forces arise in the upper packings. Useful measures for avoiding
transverse forces will be described hereinafter in conjunction with
FIG. 5. In the second enclosed chamber 32 a lever 34 is mounted on
a support 36 for pivotal movement about a shaft 38. The support 36
is advantageously fork-like, the lever 34 being disposed between
the two arms which are spaced apart transverse to the plane of the
drawing. The valve spindle 6 is connected and linked to the lever
34 through a link 40 and a coupling 41 with a guide block 42, a
first length or lever arm 46 being present between the ink pin 44
and the pivot shaft 38. Guiding surfaces 45 in the lever housing
are associated with the guiding block 42. The guiding means
provided in this way assure that the connected valve spindle will
not be subjected to transverse forces, and substantially only axial
forces will be exerted by the lever on the valve spindle. By means
of the coupling 41 any axial offset between the valve spindle 6 and
the guiding means, which in this case take the form of the guiding
block 42 and the guiding surfaces 45, will be compensated for, so
that, even if the coaxial alignment between the guiding means and
the valve spindle 6 is not precise, they will not be subjected to
any bending forces or transverse forces.
The guiding means, in particular the guiding block 42 and the
guiding surface 45, are advantageously disposed in the vicinity of
the wall between the two chambers 31 and 32. Thus the sealing of
the enclosed chamber 32 is simultaneously assured, at least to the
extent that no foreign bodies can get into the chamber 32. Exhaust
air from the position controller which may flow into the enclosed
chamber 32, however, can escape. It is to be understood that it is
within the scope of the invention to arrange the guiding means
other than between the two chambers, e.g. entirely in one or the
other of the chambers, in which case sealing means in the form of
rings or the like are preferably provided between the two chambers
31 and 32.
At the other end of the lever 34 (the right end in the drawing), a
link 50 is arranged for rotation about a shaft 52 at a second
distance 48. Lever 34 is connected with the servo drive 51 through
this link body 50 of this forked joint. In the illustrated
preferred embodiment, servo drive 51 is a diaphragm drive. The
second distance 48 is greater than the first distance 46, and
consequently a large force can be applied to the valve spindle 6 by
a relatively small servo drive 51 by means of this advantageous
lever transmission.
The leverage of lever 34 enables the diameter of the diaphragm of
the servo drive, and consequently the diameter of the diaphragm
housing 54, to be substantially reduced in accordance with the
leverage ratio. The diaphragm housing 54 comprises a lower housing
part 55 and an upper housing part 56, which are joined tightly
together by means of a clamping band 58. The upper housing part 56
contains a connection 60 for a pressure medium, while on the inside
of housing 54 a diaphragm spring plate 62 is supported by means of
a compression spring 64. In consideration of the leverage ratio,
the spring 64 has a relatively low stiffness. In this way
transverse forces are largely avoided in an especially advantageous
manner. It is therefore unnecessary to employ special measures to
guide the moving drive part, i.e. the servo drive 51, and the
negative effects of friction are avoided. By means of the overall
low-friction lever drive, a significantly reduced hysteresis is
achieved. An annular membrane or flexible ring 66 has an outer
margin which is clamped between the two housing parts 55 and 56 and
an inner margin which is held by a securing ring 68 against the
outer margin 70 of the diaphragm plate 62. The securing ring 68 may
advantageously take the form of a steel ring and has a high
resistance to stretching. The high resistance of the securing ring
to stretching makes it possible to reliably attach the flexible
annular diaphragm ring 66 to the outer periphery of the diaphragm
plate 62. This preferred design enables simple and reliable
attachment of the diaphragm and facilitates easy assembly and
disassembly of the diaphragm without any need for extra safety
components. Alternatively, instead of the steel ring 68 shown in
FIG. 1, one or more reinforcing wires may be embedded in the inner
margin of the flexible annular diaphragm ring as shown in FIG.
3.
The diaphragm spring plate 62 comprises an inner portion 72
surrounded by the spring 64 and having a bottom portion 74 with a
threaded sleeve 76 into which the link body 50 of the forked link
is screwed by means of an external thread 78. The diaphragm spring
plate 62 is thus supported and guided by the lever 34, and an
annular gap 80 allows for sufficient transverse movement of the end
74 of the inside portion 72 with respect to the bottom opening of
the lower housing part 55 and an opening 82 in the lever housing
30. As explained hereinafter, the position controller is disposed
directly on the lever housing, and its air overflow is delivered
into the enclosed second chamber 32. This integrated arrangement of
the position controller enables the air overflow from the position
controller to provide additional protection against atmospheric
influences on the components disposed in the second, enclosed
chamber 32. From the second chamber 32 the air overflow passes
further through the annular gap 80 to the unpressurized side of the
diaphragm drive, so that the components there are likewise
protected against atmospheric influence and the corrosion which it
entails.
The diaphragm housing 64 with housing parts 55 and 56 and the
diaphragm spring plate 62 can be made of metal materials or of
nonmetallic materials, such as glass-fiber reinforced plastic in
particular. Important is the comparatively small diaphragm
diameter, while still making it possible because of the leverage
ratio to apply the necessary adjusting forces to the valve spindle
6. The diaphragm 66 is arranged comparatively low, i.e., it is
spaced axially, with respect to the bottom contact surface 84 of
the diaphragm spring plate 62 for the compression spring 64. Thus a
substantially uniform effective area is provided for the diaphragm
over the length of the stroke of the diaphragm spring plate 62, and
with regard to the low adjusting force of the diaphragm 66 with
respect to the contact surface 84 of the spring 64.
There are no guides on the pressure medium side of the diaphragm
spring plate, while the overflow air, which finds its way into the
area of the lower half of the housing on the side of the diaphragm
that is free of the operating medium, reliably protects the
components located there against undesirable effects, particularly
the effects of a corrosive atmosphere.
The lever 34 has a free hole 86 (shown at the left of the drawing),
while the lever housing 30 has a second pivot support 88 in chamber
32. As can be seen from the drawing, the free hole 86 is spaced a
distance 90 from the second pivot support 88, in the direction of
the spindle axis 8. This second pivot support 88, like the first
pivot support 36, is configured as a fork between the two arms of
which the end of the lever 34 with the hole 86 can be disposed. To
invert or reverse the direction of operation of the servo valve,
lever 34 can be fastened by means of a pin to the second pivot
support 88 instead of to the first pivot support 36. In the
unpressurized state, the valve spindle 6 with the attached valve
cone 16 is then lifted by the aforementioned distance 90, so that
the adjusting valve closes when the pressure is applied. Due to
this special configuration, therefore, it is possible to reverse
the direction of action of the valve in a simple manner without
taking the diaphragm housing apart. Also, when the lever 34 is
connected to the second forked pivot support 88, the lever arm of
the connection to the valve spindle 6 is considerably shorter than
the lever arm of the pivot of the link body 50.
Also, two adjusting screws 91 and 92 are provided. By means of the
first adjusting screw 91, which can be turned in threads in the
lever 34, an upper stop for the stroke can be established, while a
lower stop for the stroke of lever 34 and of the adjusting spindle
6 can be established by means of the second adjusting screw 92
which can be rotated in the housing. Thus, integrated means for
setting adjustable minimum and maximum limits to control the amount
of flow through the servo valve are achieved without incurring a
high manufacturing cost. The second chamber 32 of the lever housing
30 contains a venting device 94. This venting device 94 is inserted
in a bore 96 in the lever housing 30 and enables the overflow air
from the position controller introduced into the second chamber to
escape. The bore 96 is advantageously located with respect to the
first adjusting screw 91 so that, when the plastic plug containing
the venting device 94 is removed, a screwdriver can be inserted
through the bore 96 to turn the adjusting screw 91.
FIG. 2 shows a section through the chamber 32 of the lever housing
30, without the link body of the forked linkage. Between the two
parallel parts of the double-armed lever 34 can be seen the first
pivot support 36, the link 40 and the corresponding pivot pins 38
and 34. The reversal of the direction of action explained above is
performed by moving the pin 38 to the second pivot support 88 and
free bores 86 of lever 34. The lever housing 30 contains at the
bottom a flange 98 by means of which it can be attached to the
upper part of the valve.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a further embodiment of the diaphragm
showing how the flexible annular diaphragm ring 66 is fastened to
the diaphragm spring plate 62. Instead of the steel ring described
above and illustrated in FIG. 1, individual circumferential wires
100 are integrated into the inner margin 102 of the annular
diaphragm ring 66. The margin 102 preferably takes the form of an
annular bead which is engaged in an outwardly facing, annular
groove 104 in the diaphragm spring plate 62. As can be seen in the
drawing, on the unpressurized side of the diaphragm spring plate 62
there is an annular protuberance 106 which assures a reliable
seating. If a pressure medium is introduced into the chamber
between the upper half of the housing and the diaphragm 66, the
diaphragm margin 102 is pressed securely against the outwardly
projecting protuberance 106. The outside diameter of the
protuberance 106 and the diameter of the aforementioned wires 100
are coordinated in order to assure a reliable and tight seating.
The same applies with regard to the steel ring and the radially
outwardly extending protuberance of the diaphragm spring plate
provided in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1. To fix the outer
margin of the diaphragm ring 66, the upper housing half 56 has an
annular groove 108 in which an annular bead 110 on the outer margin
of the diaphragm ring 66 is received. A clamping lock 112 for the
clamping band 58 can also be seen in FIG. 3. The diaphragm drive
can be assembled and/or disassembled without difficulty and without
any need for special tools or accessory devices.
FIG. 4 shows a side view of the housing 54 of the servo drive 51
and of the lever housing 30, to which the position controller 114
is directly mated in an especially compact manner. The position
controller 114 has a plate 115 which is tightly attached to the
lever housing 30. The electropneumatic or pneumatic position
controller 114 tightly seals one side of the second chamber 32 of
the lever housing 30. On the other side a cover 116 is provided,
which is attached with screws 118. A good sealing of the enclosed
second chamber 32 of the lever housing 30 can be assured by means
of gaskets (not shown). Chamber 32 is readily accessible by
removing the cover 116 in order, for example, to enable the
direction of action to be reversed by shifting the lever fulcrum.
Moreover, the position of the valve spindle 6 is sensed directly at
the lever 34 in chamber 32. On the other hand, the first chamber 31
of the lever housing 30 is not enclosed, but instead is partially
open. A cover plate 119 is provided on each side of chamber 31.
These cover plates 119 extend only over part of the total height of
chamber 31. To prevent accidents the size or height of the cover
plates 119 is made such that it is virtually impossible to insert,
e.g. a finger, into chamber 31.
A line 120 connects the position controller 114 to the diaphragm
drive 54, whereby line 120 is tightly connected in a known manner
to the connection 60. As can be seen, the lever housing 30 is
directly attached via flange 98 to valve upper part 4. Because of
the position controller 114 is directly fitted to the lever housing
30, and particularly in the immediate vicinity of the enclosed
chamber 32, its air overflow can easily be introduced into chamber
32 to flush or purge it. It is to be noted that, to this extent,
there is a connection between the position controller 114 and the
lever housing 30. Optionally, the lever housing and unpressurized
parts of the diaphragm drive can flushed by means of nitrogen or a
pressure medium, appropriate connections being readily provided for
this purpose.
FIG. 5 shows an especially advantageous coupling of the valve
spindle 6 to the diaphragm drive via the guide block 42 and the
lever 34 (not shown in this figure). In the figure, the dividing
wall 122 between the first chamber 31 and the second chamber 32 of
the lever housing can be seen. The dividing wall 122 contains a
bore with a guide bushing 124 with a guiding surface 45 for the
guide block 42. The guide block 42 is provided with a central bore
into which the valve spindle engages via a shank 126. Shank 126 is
tightly fitted in guide block 42. The guide block 42 is precisely
guided in the lever housing, and transverse forces are effectively
compensated for in general, and are kept away from the valve
spindle 6 and the safety seal 33. The guide block 42 contains at
its bottom end a centering cone 128 which cooperates with a slotted
cone nut 130. The cone nut 130 is a slotted and conically turned
standard nut which is threaded on the external thread 131 of the
valve spindle 6. The centering cone 128 and the cone nut 130 are
clamped together by means of two coupling sections 132 and screws
134, whereby rotational and axial movements are prevented by means
of the slotted cone nut 130. In contrast to enclosed chamber 32,
chamber 31 is open on its sides which lie parallel to the plane of
drawing, so that the coupling 41 described above can be easily
inspected and adjusted. The coupling 41 is self-centering and
assures high concentricity so that ease of assembly and adjustment
are also assured. The combination of the fit between the shank 126
and the central bore of the guide block 42, and also the guidance
of the guide block in the lever housing, assures very precise
guidance of the spindle 6 free of transverse forces.
FIG. 6 shows a known valve housing 2 made by forging. Such a
housing can be forged from a solid body and then bored out. The
flange 12 required for attachment of the valve upper part is
disposed adjacent the top margin 136 of the housing. The expansion
chamber 18 has a comparatively small volume, which is
disadvantageous for the rheological characteristics.
In FIGS. 7 and 8 the valve housing 2 according to the invention is
shown with a large expansion chamber 18. The expansion chamber 18
is surrounded by a substantially cylindrical wall 138. The
connecting flange 12 is not at the top margin 136, but instead near
the bottom 140 of the expansion chamber. The wall 138 has a
substantially uniform thickness over its entire height. In the
forging, the available transformation energy is utilized
substantially for producing the large expansion chamber, and the
inlet opening 20, the outlet opening 22, and the connecting chamber
24 are produced afterward by boring. Since the housing flange 12 is
arranged in the center of the housing or in the vicinity of the
longitudinal axis, no disadvantageous limitations arise during the
forging. The outside diameter 139 of the wall 138 is substantially
equal to the length 142 of the outside edges of the approximately
square housing flange 12.
The foregoing description and examples have been set forth merely
to illustrate the invention and are not intended to be limiting.
Since modifications of the described embodiments incorporating the
spirit and substance of the invention may occur to persons skilled
in the art, the invention should be construed broadly to include
all variations falling within the scope of the appended claims and
equivalents thereof.
* * * * *